TikTok launches dedicated response team and tighter moderation after Barcelona unrest

After Saturday's violent protests in Barcelona, TikTok announced the formation of a specialised task force and an increase in moderation activities, employing proactive monitoring and AI-driven image and audio detection. The company is actively deleting infringing videos, halting live broadcasts, and disabling accounts that violate its policies, and it has added safeguards such as blocking violent-related searches and disabling autocomplete for protest terms.

Users searching for terms like "manifestaciónbarcelona" now see a warning that the event is developing and that information may be unverified. TikTok is also temporarily restricting monetisation of live streams tied to protests to prevent financial exploitation. Catalonia's interior minister Núria Parlon called on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram to close groups that encourage chaos, noting that the rally was coordinated through TikTok and then moved to mass-messaging apps. The regional police, Mossos d'Esquadra, intend to request judicial authorisation to trace the network behind the protest, which resulted in looting and 130 arrests.